State of EU Progress to Climate Neutrality

The European Climate Neutrality Observatory (ECNO) finds that while the EU is generally moving in the right direction toward its 2050 climate neutrality goal, the pace of change is too slow across most sectors. Governance is the only building block currently assessed as 'on track', while finance and carbon dioxide removals are moving in the 'wrong direction'. Significant gaps exist in the agricultural sector, where policies have supported intensive animal agriculture, and in external action, where the EU's 'climate bank' continues to finance fossil fuels abroad.

• The EU's overall progress toward climate neutrality is moving in the right direction, but the pace is insufficient to meet the 2050 goal. Of 13 building blocks, only governance is 'on track', three are 'too slow' (electricity, just transition, clean tech), and seven are 'far too slow' (agrifood, mobility, industry, buildings, lifestyles, adaptation, external action).
• Finance and carbon dioxide removals (CDR) are the only two areas where developments are moving in the 'wrong direction'.
• In the electricity sector, emission reductions have been achieved through a shift from coal to gas and renewable uptake, but to sustain this, renewable generation uptake must increase from 1.5% to 3.2% per annum.
• EU agricultural policies are deemed insufficient for climate neutrality because payment structures have favored intensive animal agriculture and large farms, resulting in rising livestock emissions and fertiliser consumption.
• Regarding external action, the EU remains a leading climate finance donor but fails to meet its 'fair share', and its 'climate bank' continues to provide financing for fossil fuels in other countries.

APA

NewClimate Institute (2023). State of EU Progress to Climate Neutrality. http://www.newclimate.org/resources/publications/ecno-state-of-eu-progress-to-climate-neutrality

Chicago

NewClimate Institute. State of EU Progress to Climate Neutrality. 2023. http://www.newclimate.org/resources/publications/ecno-state-of-eu-progress-to-climate-neutrality.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=NewClimate Institute |title=State of EU Progress to Climate Neutrality |date=26 June 2023 |url=http://www.newclimate.org/resources/publications/ecno-state-of-eu-progress-to-climate-neutrality |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{newclimateinstitute2023state, author = {{NewClimate Institute}}, title = {{State of EU Progress to Climate Neutrality}}, institution = {NewClimate Institute}, year = {2023}, month = jun, url = {http://www.newclimate.org/resources/publications/ecno-state-of-eu-progress-to-climate-neutrality}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }